Pocket tool



Aug. 17, 1943. BERG 2,327,090

POCKET TOOL Filed Dec. 5, 1942 IN I 'EN TOR. Marfin Berg Patented Aug. 17, 1943 v UNITED STATES raTsNT, OFFICE t A o 2327,090-

POCKET root. artin Berg, Brooklyn, N. Y. Application December 5, 1 342, Serial No. 467,929 4 Claims. .(Cl, 30-159 t This invention relates to'pocket tools and particularly to onein which the' tool is pivotally opened and closed in a sheath-handle by a movable part. In my applicationyseri-al- No. 265,171, IIOW Patent No. 2,250,290, July 22,!1941, such a pocket toolin which the tool is pivotallyopened and closed in a handle by a longitudinally sliding rack in gear operation is described.

Intheapplication of Martin Berg and Louis William Schaafif, Serial No. 370,658; now' Patent No. 2,263,4I5, such a pocket tool in which'the tool ispivotally opened and closed ma handler by working in spring operation is described.

There was no doubt an important step to prograss in changing from gear to spring operation and though it was the main object of the said Patent No. 2,263,415 to provide a pocket tool involving substantially an irreducible number of parts with resulting"inexpensiveness, compactness, ease of operation and dependability, this object was achieved partially only. It is the main object of the present invention to provide such a pocket toel' in which the tool is pivotally opened and closed in a handle by working in spring operation and to simplify the construction of the parts with the effect that the manufacturing costsare considerably reduced and since the present pocket tool is to-be considered amass article this simplifying of the parts is of highest importance without losing anyadvantages of the known construction, g

I' accomplish these objects by"- first forming suitable material into a trough-like or folded handle or frame preferably having a closedback with at least one open end and an' open side near each end or which is fixed a pin or rivet or besides these two pins or rivets, if necessary, also a third pin or rivet. which act to strengthen the and hold side: portions spaced apart. On the pin is,- pivoteda tool and movable along: the. other is arranged amember which slides back and forth along said other pin. The movable memben extendsrintegrally beyond that end of the handle opposite thetool pivot. and may be formed to another tool as can-opener, bottleopener or any other suitable tool. Upon pulling out the movable member, the tool pivoted on the first pin is projected in open position by spring action and upon pushing in the movable member the tool is fixed in the opened position. In order to fix the tool in this opened position, the

movable member is equipped with means, which means engage corresponding means of the tool pivoted on the first pin. By pushing in said the closed position, whereby again the same means of the movable member engage different cutlery and the like.

The following description of the invention shows preferred embodiments applied to pocket knife construction, as illustrated in the drawing,

in which:

Fig. l is a side view of the pocket knife with the blade in closed position; Fig. 2 is a cross-section-al view through the pocket'knife with the blade in closed; position; Fig. 3 a similar crosssectional' view of the pocket knife the blade being extended in the open position. 'Fig'. 4 is a cross,

sectionalviewthrough the knife taken along the line IVIV of Fig. 1; Fig/his aside view of the tool carrier with a knife blade inserted into the carrier, Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view through the carrier taken along the line VI-VI The embodiment ofthe invention shown in Fig. 1-6 consists of' a sheath-handle, a movable tork memberand a tool or tool carrier with a tool.

Shath-haridle i may be made of suitable material and is preferabl U-formed. It has therefore fiat side portions 2 "connected by an integral slightly rounded back'portion 3. Rivet 4 and 5 grip the side portions 2 together and act to strengthen the sheath'mandle l rigidly" holding the sideiportions 2' in suitable spaced relation. Besides that rivet 4 serves aspivot for the blade or tool carrier and rivet 5 as guidance for the movable member.

The movable member 6 is bifurcated on one end, both parts l and 8 of said member 6 being narrowed to each other in the closed and opened position of the tool respectively. The other end 9 orthe member 5,'projecting out-of the handle -l has either a cut-out suitable for gripping to operate it, as it is known already, or preferably is formed to another tool as a bottle-opener In. Close to the end S of said member 6 a notch is arranged and said notch engages pin '5 to serve as guide in the push or pull movement of said member 6 and to limit both movements by the end faces I2 I2 of the said notch in said member 6. The upper part 1 of the bifurcated end of the member 6 has an oblique face on its end in order to slide easier on the inside face I3 of the back portion 3 of the sheath handle I. The lower part 8 of the bifurcated end of the member 6 is equipped with an extension [4 on its bottom face near its end, which engages a corresponding rest in the shoulder i5, one each on it upper and lower face, whereby the engagement takes place between extension i4 and rest it on its upper face in the opened position of the blade (Fig. 3) and between extension 24 and rest I! on its lower face in the closed position of the blade (Fig. 2). Due to the depression 18 of the blade I9 a face is arranged on its back which abuts on back 3 of the sheath-handle I in the opened position in order to restrict the tendency of variationsin the grinding process of the blade and even to eliminate same entirely.

The part 8 of the bifurcated end of the member 6 has slenderness and springiness and on account of the springiness of this part B the blade I9 is turned and kept in the open position. The normal position of the part 8 is arranged in some distance of the other part l of the bifurcated end of the member 6. In the closed and in the open position of the blade 19, the part 8 is narrowed to the other part 1 when engaging with its extension l4 rest IE or rest I! of the blade l9, respectively, and so the spring force in this part 8 is stressed in both positions. On account of the longitudinal cut-out of the member 6' the latter is slidable in the sheath-handle i. The-pulling and pushing movement of the member 6 is limited by the ends of its cut-out. of one position of the blade to the other always makes necessary the described longitudinal movement of the member 6. V

In the closed position (Fig. 2) part 8 of the member 6 rests on the shoulder l5 of the blade [9 whereby extension I4 of the part 8 is engaged with rest I! of the blade I9, working with spring pressure to keep blade 19 in the closed position. In order to change the position of blade IS the member 6 is pulled out of the sheath-handle I after overpowering the spring pressure of part 8 and releasing extension l4 from'the rest l1. Pin

'5 which was in theformer position on the right end of the notch 20 (Fig. 2) slides along the notch until it arrives at its left end. Due to this movement the resistance against turning the blade I9 into open position is removed and blade l9 turns on pin 4 on account of the continuing spring pressure of part 8 of the member 6. Blade 19 turns until face 18 of its shoulder abuts on the back 3 of the sheath-handle l and upon pushing back the member 6 into the former position the part 8 slides along the upper face of .the shoulder IS with a tendency to keep blade 19 in the open position, whereby extension I "of part 8 engages the rest I! of the shoulder 15. Pin 5 moves during the pushing movement of member 6 from the left end to the right end position of the notch 29.

As shown in Figs. 5 and 6 the blade is arranged'as tool carrier |9in U-shaped form and the carrier I9 is equipped with points 21 which engage corresponding holes 22 of the blade 23 The changing or of any other tool supported by the carrier IS. The carrier has also a shoulder IS with a rest It and IT on its upper and lower face, respectively. Thus a file, a comb, a razor or any other suitable tool can be inserted into the carrier.

To effect the closing of the blade of tool carrier 19 the projecting end 9 of member 5 which may be formed to a bottle-opener, can-opener, or other suitable tool is pulled outwardly again, in the same way described before. By withdrawing part 8 from the shoulder [5 of blade IS the latter can collapse to the closed position which is locked again upon pushing inwardly the member 6 and achieving again the first mentioned closed position by gliding pin 5 along the notch of member 6 and thus locking the blade of carrier I9 in the closed position.

Although I have specifically described and illustrated my invention in connection with a single-blade, spring-operated pocket knife, it is to'be understood that the invention maybe applied to multi-tool units ingeneral where more than one tool section is used. Eachtool may have an independent manually actuatable member corresponding to member 6 of the illustrated form. g

The preferred embodiments of the invention are disclosed in the drawing and set forth in the specification, but it will be understood that any modifications within the scope of the claimed invention may be made in the construction without departing from the principle of the invention or sacrificing any of its advantages.

What I claim is: I l

1. In a pocket tool a frame, comprising a handle having two side portions and pin members connecting said side portions, a spring operated tool member having a tang pivoted on one of said pin members, a rest on each. of the front and rear edges ofsaid tang,and a two pronged fork member, one prong of said fork constituting a spring member, an extension engageable with said rest on the upper and lower face, respectively, of the back end of the tool member for keeping said tool in its closed and open position, said fork member being longitudinally slidable along the second of said pinmembers.

2. .In a pocket tool according to claim 1, said fork member having a long shallow notch to re oeive said second pin, whereb the end faces of said notch limit the pushing and pulling movement, respectively. 3. In a pocket tool according to claim 1, aid tool member being formed as a tool carrier and having two side portions and means for carrying a tool inserted into said carrier.

4. In a pocket tool according to claim 1, said .tool member formed as a. tool carrier having two side portions and a back portion connecting said side portions and said side portions :having opposed inwardly directed points, said tool to be inserted into said carrier having holes engageable with said points of said side portions.

MARTIN BERG. 

